Pink Bats: How the tradition began

As time passes I can not remember a Mothers Day in which baseball players were not covered head to toe in pink cleats, wristbands, socks and specially produced uniforms all while swinging the famous bright pink bat.

While most might assume this is just another PR stunt/ excuse to produce and sell new merchandise to die had fans with expendable income, the pink bats do some actual good.

What began as an experiment in 2006 has grown into a yearly tradition that not only shows love to all the mama’s out there but also helps raise significant money for breast cancer research as the MLB partners with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization.

Gathering inspiration from Canadian-based sports company TPS which produced 400 pink hockey sticks for a breast cancer event raising over $100,000, John A. Hillerich IV, President and CEO of the Louisville Slugger’s parent-company took the idea to Commisonner Selig and the traditional has grown ever since.

In its initial year the pink bats were auctioned off and along with subsequent donations raised over $350,000 to help combat the disease and the numbers have grown since.

This year the MLB is allowing players to break their strict uniform code for both Saturday and Sunday allowing for more exposure to the cause and more bats to auction off.

Sometimes sports leagues can go overboard with promotions and speciality uniforms but the pink has become more than just a symbol of affection for moms, but actually provides extra motivation to the players and becomes valuable memorabilia which can be sold at a premium for a cause we can all go to bat for. Pun intended.